Wednesday Links: Art Money and Monopoly Money

Museum news junkies are getting their fix right now with a new expose on the ongoing MOCA saga. All the characters—Jeffrey Deitch, Eli Broad, and Paul Schimmel—seem to have covert motives, personal vendettas, and a screwball sense of the way the world really works. If only it had more sexual intrigue, then it’d be like Downton Abbey. [Vanity Fair]

“Monopoly’s been very good to me. Very, very good.” That’s a catchphrase from a vintage Monopoly commercial that serves to highlight how easily pleased we used to be; before now, everyone thought Monopoly was basically complete, despite offering no refuge from capitalism and requiring that the least popular player role-play an iron. Today, that changes. No longer will we be satisfied with whatever cut-rate movie-themed Reversi remake Big Board Game decides to sell; in the age of the internet, our voices will be heard in a truly democratic forum, and they will say: “Lol it should have a cat.” Alex Abad-Santos, at The Atlantic Wire, has been comparing the exit polls, and finds some evidence of vote tampering. [The Atlantic Wire] (This commentary, brought to you by AFC’s Will Brand.)

In news of the weird: a Michelangelo sculpture will head to jail. Supporters believe the sculpture “will have a positive impact on the psyches of the inmates”. [The Art Newspaper]

We’re excited for the February issue of The Brooklyn Rail. Guest Editor Martha Schwendener asked 50 critics, scholars, activists, and writers how they’d like to reimagine their field and make it better—in just a few hundred words. From the looks of it, we’ve got a lot of reading to do today. [The Brooklyn Rail]

Another lengthy piece we’re keen to read in full: Christian Viveros-Faune’s interview with octogenarian art critic and historian Irving Sandler about the intersections between the art market and art practice. If you’re on the fence about whether the market has any bearing on the art we see (Ed. Note: WHO ARE YOU?) , maybe Viveros-Faune will convince you otherwise; he’s come to realize financial speculation “affects the way art is made, understood, and, ultimately, experienced.” [The Village Voice]

Need more critical insight into the art market? Adam Lindemann’s piece this week has some nice insights into “the sundry art-market realities that just don’t add up.” [Gallerist NY]

Should we worry that the surge in art fairs is causing some galleries to cut the number of exhibitions they host in-house? [Art in America]